Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-01-09
OUR VINEYARDS.
The Great Increase in this
Leading Industry.
FORECASTING THE FUTURE.
What Leading Growers and Deal
ers Think of California Vine-
wards and Their Products.

The name Of California, which has
been q synonym for earth-cmboweled
riches, is destined to spread over the
world on the labels of wine bottles in
the future. The viticultural in dustry OF
this State has been rapidly and steadily
growing since it was begun, and the pro-
ducts of California vineyards have been
constantly gaining in reputation.
Arpad Harazthy, president OF the
State Board of Viticulture, when asked
by Call reporter as to the growth Oh
the wine industry during the past year,
said:
ssTne amount of the last vintage is
variously estimated at fron l7,0OO,OOo
10 10000, 900 gallons OF wine, that 49,
must in its first condition. Some OF this
has been distilled, and that diminishes
the amount. The brandies are included
in this estimate, as they will be made
from this wine. My own estimate is
that the vintage has been 100000
GALLONS. The northern part of the State
has furnished most of it, there being
more vineyards there than in the south.
I suppose the area of vineyards north
of the line of Monterey is five or six
times as great as that south of it. That
would be a moderate comparison, l
think"
"How does last years vintage com.
pare with previous ones?"
1.-THE quality is better than any we
have had in the last five years. The
quantity has been greater than usual on
account of the bearing of new vines
which were planted four or five years
ago. In 1885 about 5000 600 gallons
were made; in 1884, IA 600, 600 to To-
600, 600 gallons, and in 1883, if / recol.
lect Alright, about ii 100000. The year
1885 was disastrous one. Last year,
had it not been for the sunburn and
other unforeseen accidents, 1000, 900 or
100000 gallons more would or ought
to have been produced. Vineyards
where four or five tons of grapes to the
acre were expected did not yield more
than one or two tons by reason OF these
untoward influences. This was more
noticeable with regard to black grapes
last year. The sunburn, which shriveled
the grapes before they ripened, rendered
part of the crop useless for wine making,
and thus diminished the quantity to
considerable extent. The quality of the
California wine of 1856, owing to an in
creased yield of new and choice varieties
of grapes, will, in my opinion, excel that
of any previously made. The four finer
varieties that were planted four years
ago throughout the State are beginning
to bear. The vines were comparatively
recent importations from Europe. These
different varieties were more than 200 in
number. Among them are the Mataro.
the Sauvignon Vert, the Malbec, the
Pinot, the Black Burgundy, the Caber-
net, Sauvignon's Semillon. Grenache,
Verdot, Folleblanche, Alicante. Bou-
schet, Cinsant, Meunier, Shiraz, Orleans
Riesling, Johannisberg Riesling, Frau
ken Riesling, Plousard, Boal, Palomino,
Bastardo, Tannaie and others.
s'Many of these have been grown in
large quantities-sutficiently large at
least to enter into the trade-and there
fore they will have a very material in.
fluence on the reputation OF California
wine as soon as that which is nanufac-
tured from these grapes natures enough
to be shown and sold"
"Have vineyards in California increas.
ed during 1856?
ga goodly number of acres have been
planted cut by those who have been in
the business, but not many completely
new vineyards have been set out. In
other words. many vineyards have been
extended but not many people have be-
come viticulturists. At the beginning of
the year the price of grapes was high,
but it gradually fell as purchasers found
that the amount of the crop would ex-
ceed their anticpations. In certain
localities where Zlnfandel, which is now
the staple grape of the northern part of
the State, was rated at $40 to $22 per
ton at the opening of 1886 the prices
dropped to SIS and went trife under.
Up TO this date no considerable pur-
chases have been made OF the last vim
tage by the dealers and merchants here,
and they seem to think that the prices
may eventually go lower than&hat they
have been started at. The prices now
are not as low as in the abundant year
of 1854, but they are considerably below
those of 1885. The reason why prices
are above those of 1884, although the
crop of 1856 has been much greater, is
that the demand has become much
greater and the confidence of ability
to find buyers has not diminished
with the increase in the product. OF
course if the wines made in this State
are sold at low figure the demand for
them will increase very materially, and
thus dealers will be enabled to work off
the surplus stock The trouble that is
feared at present by those who look
ahead is that too large stock may be
held for higher considerations than those
offered, and in that way there will be
accumulated so much wine in this State
as to gIut the home market. In the
coming four years l anticipate abundant
vintages. In three years from now Cal.
ifornia will produce at least 50,OO0,O 900
gallons, unless people tear up their vines
because viticulture don't pay. New
vines are coming into bearing every
year, and during these three years there
will be large acreage added to the
yield. have made q calculation con.
cerning the crop in 1889, which places
it at over $4,000. 900 gallons. do not
recollect the exact figures now. Merely
to let you know that this estimate of
mine is not haphazard guess. l may
mention that I predicted the vintage of
1886 would amount to about 5000, 900
gallons five years ago, and estimated
correctly the crop of 1884 three years
before it was grown. There was sun.
burn last year on vines where it had
never withered grapes before"
"Have the grades of wine advanced
here during 1852"
.'The wines in this State have i'm.
proved so wonderfully during the past
wear that those made before cannot com.
pare with them. This is conceded by
those who drink them and by the public